Friday Fictioneers: Red sky


PHOTO PROMPT © Renee Heath

There used to be a saying about shepherds and skies – do you know it?

I sit awake nights, trying to remember the sky Before.

The nights the wolves grow brave, snuffling round camp with their hollow bellies and frosted eyes. The nights cold shoos the black bears from the mountains and I sit vigil with my rusted rifle, cradling our last shells like a miser with his gold.

Memories of the world Before are slipping from me, you see, turning to dreams, to fictions. Only that rhyme proves the sky wasn’t always red.

Tell me you remember it.

***

Written for Rochelle Wisoff-Field’s Friday Fictioneers. See the pic and write a tale to suit. Visit here to join in the fun.

41 thoughts on “Friday Fictioneers: Red sky”

  12. Such a skilfully written story Lynn. I love the way you paint the scene, convey the lyrical mood. Also how you hint at the end of the world, lightly held in balance. Great writing.

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  13. Great voice on this one, Lynn! And every detail adds up so well to paint the sad picture of now versus Before.

    And what a funny coincidence: I just read a story in the latest issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction where the sky turned red!

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    1. Thank you Joe. Red’s a good colour for a post apocalyptic sky, isn’t it – the colour of danger, just ordinary enough to be believable, weird enough to suggest something seriously bad has happened. Thanks for the kind comment

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      1. The way I was picturing it wasn’t ordinary at all. Now that I think about it, of course there are streaks of red in the sunset or sunrise. But I was imagining blood red from horizon to horizon, ew!

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      2. No ‘delight’ in that red sky! Yes, it would definitely depend on the shade, wouldn’t it? Could be quite terrifying. I remember years ago, seeing a very odd cloud phenomenon – ice was caused by ice crystals caught in the clouds reflecting light, but for all the world it looked like oil slicks in the sky. And because it was so unusual – never seen anything like it before or since – it was actually very unnerving to see something so familiar, so natural as the sky looking so alien. Weird skies are creepy.

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      3. Wow, that does sound unnerving. I’ve seen some pretty bizarre photos that look like they must be photoshopped, but are apparently true natural phenomena. I imagine it looked even weirder in person — as with your oil slick sky; photographs never really capture it.

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